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WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 im•ply /ɪmˈplaɪ/USA pronunciation
See -plic-. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 im•ply
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: imply /ɪmˈplaɪ/ vb ( -plies, -plying, -plied)(tr; may take a clause as object)
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicāre to involve; see implicate ‘implying‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): |
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imply
signify or mean; to suggest: Her words imply a lack of caring.
Not to be confused with:
infer – deduce, reason, guess; draw a conclusion: They inferred her dislike from her cold reply.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
im·ply
(ĭm-plī′)
tr.v. im·plied, im·ply·ing, im·plies
1.
a. To express or state indirectly: She implied that she was in a hurry.
b. To make evident indirectly: His fine clothes implied that he was wealthy. See Synonyms at suggest. See Usage Note at infer.
2. To involve by logical necessity; entail: Life implies growth and death.
[Middle English implien, from Old French emplier, to enfold, from Latin implicāre; see implicate.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
imply
(ɪmˈplaɪ)
vb (tr; may take a clause as object) , -plies, -plying or -plied
1. to express or indicate by a hint; suggest: what are you implying by that remark?.
2. (Logic) to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
3. (Logic) logic to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
4. obsolete to entangle or enfold
[C14: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicāre to involve; see implicate]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
im•ply
(ɪmˈplaɪ)
v.t. -plied, -ply•ing.
1. to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated.
2. to involve as a necessary circumstance: Speech implies a speaker.
3. Obs. to enfold.
[1325–75; Middle English < Middle French emplier < Latin implicāre]
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
imply
- imply, infer — A speaker or writer implies, a hearer or reader infers; implications are incorporated in statements, while inferences are deduced from statements. Imply means «suggest indirectly that something is true,» while infer means «conclude or deduce something is true»; furthermore, to imply is to suggest or throw out a suggestion, while to infer is to include or take in a suggestion.
- intent, intention — Intent implies a sustained unbroken commitment or purpose, while intention implies an intermittent resolution or an initial aim or plan.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
imply
– infer
1. ‘imply’
If you imply that something is the case, you suggest that it is the case without actually saying so.
Somehow he implied that he was the one who had done all the work.
Her tone implied that her time and her patience were limited.
2. ‘infer’
If you infer that something is the case, you decide that it is the case on the basis of the information that you have.
I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
It is only from doing experiments that cause-and-effect relationships can be inferred.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
imply
Past participle: implied
Gerund: implying
Imperative |
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imply |
imply |
Present |
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I imply |
you imply |
he/she/it implies |
we imply |
you imply |
they imply |
Preterite |
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I implied |
you implied |
he/she/it implied |
we implied |
you implied |
they implied |
Present Continuous |
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I am implying |
you are implying |
he/she/it is implying |
we are implying |
you are implying |
they are implying |
Present Perfect |
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I have implied |
you have implied |
he/she/it has implied |
we have implied |
you have implied |
they have implied |
Past Continuous |
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I was implying |
you were implying |
he/she/it was implying |
we were implying |
you were implying |
they were implying |
Past Perfect |
---|
I had implied |
you had implied |
he/she/it had implied |
we had implied |
you had implied |
they had implied |
Future |
---|
I will imply |
you will imply |
he/she/it will imply |
we will imply |
you will imply |
they will imply |
Future Perfect |
---|
I will have implied |
you will have implied |
he/she/it will have implied |
we will have implied |
you will have implied |
they will have implied |
Future Continuous |
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I will be implying |
you will be implying |
he/she/it will be implying |
we will be implying |
you will be implying |
they will be implying |
Present Perfect Continuous |
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I have been implying |
you have been implying |
he/she/it has been implying |
we have been implying |
you have been implying |
they have been implying |
Future Perfect Continuous |
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I will have been implying |
you will have been implying |
he/she/it will have been implying |
we will have been implying |
you will have been implying |
they will have been implying |
Past Perfect Continuous |
---|
I had been implying |
you had been implying |
he/she/it had been implying |
we had been implying |
you had been implying |
they had been implying |
Conditional |
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I would imply |
you would imply |
he/she/it would imply |
we would imply |
you would imply |
they would imply |
Past Conditional |
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I would have implied |
you would have implied |
he/she/it would have implied |
we would have implied |
you would have implied |
they would have implied |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb | 1. | imply — express or state indirectly
connote evince, express, show — give expression to; «She showed her disappointment» |
2. | imply — suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic
presuppose, suppose — require as a necessary antecedent or precondition; «This step presupposes two prior ones» intimate, suggest — imply as a possibility; «The evidence suggests a need for more clarification» connote, predicate — involve as a necessary condition of consequence; as in logic; «solving the problem is predicated on understanding it well» evince, express, show — give expression to; «She showed her disappointment» |
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3. | imply — have as a logical consequence; «The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers»
entail, mean necessitate — cause to be a concomitant |
|
4. | imply — suggest that someone is guilty
incriminate, inculpate paint a picture, suggest, evoke — call to mind; «this remark evoked sadness» |
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5. | imply — have as a necessary feature; «This decision involves many changes»
involve feature, have — have as a feature; «This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France» carry — be necessarily associated with or result in or involve; «This crime carries a penalty of five years in prison» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
imply
verb
2. involve, mean, entail, include, require, indicate, import, point to, signify, denote, presuppose, betoken The meeting in no way implies a resumption of contact with the terrorists. see infer
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
imply
verb
1. To lead to by logical inference:
2. To convey an idea by indirect, subtle means:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
انطوىيوحي، يَضْمِر
naznačovat
antyde
edellyttääimplikoidamerkitä
burkoltan céloz
gefa í skyn
ほのめかす
duoti suprastipotekstė
likt saprastnetieši norādīt
namigovati
implicera
ima etmek
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
imply
[ɪmˈplaɪ] vt
(= suggest) to imply (that) … → impliquer que …
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
imply
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
imply
(imˈplai) verb
to suggest or hint without actually stating. Are you implying that I am a liar?
impliˈcation noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
imply
v. implicar, insinuar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
- Dictionary
- I
- Implying
Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [im-plahy]
- /ɪmˈplaɪ/
- /ɪmˈplaɪ/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [im-plahy]
- /ɪmˈplaɪ/
Definitions of implying word
- verb with object implying to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated: His words implied a lack of faith. 1
- verb with object implying (of words) to signify or mean. 1
- verb with object implying to involve as a necessary circumstance: Speech implies a speaker. 1
- verb with object implying Obsolete. to enfold. 1
- noun implying Present participle of imply. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of implying
First appearance:
before 1325
One of the 16% oldest English words
1325-75; Middle English implien, emplien < Middle French emplier < Latin implicāre; see implicate
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Implying
implying popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 90% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student’s vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
Synonyms for implying
adjective implying
- referring — to direct for information or anything required: He referred me to books on astrology.
- suggesting — to mention or introduce (an idea, proposition, plan, etc.) for consideration or possible action: The architect suggested that the building be restored.
- connotative — (of a word or expression) signifying or suggestive of an associative or secondary meaning in addition to the primary meaning: A connotative word such as “steely” would never be used when referring to a woman.
- denotive — used or serving to denote; denotative.
- denotative — able to denote; designative
Antonyms for implying
verb with object implying
- plying — British Dialect. to bend, fold, or mold.
Top questions with implying
- what are you implying?
- what does implying mean?
- what is the meaning of implying?
See also
- All definitions of implying
- Synonyms for implying
- Antonyms for implying
- Related words to implying
- Sentences with the word implying
- Words that rhyme with implying
- implying pronunciation
Matching words
- Words starting with i
- Words starting with im
- Words starting with imp
- Words starting with impl
- Words starting with imply
- Words starting with implyi
- Words starting with implyin
- Words starting with implying
- Words ending with g
- Words ending with ng
- Words ending with ing
- Words ending with ying
- Words containing the letters i
- Words containing the letters i,m
- Words containing the letters i,m,p
- Words containing the letters i,m,p,l
- Words containing the letters i,m,p,l,y
- Words containing the letters i,m,p,l,y,n
- Words containing i
- Words containing im
- Words containing imp
- Words containing impl
- Words containing imply
- Words containing implyi
WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes
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implyingverb
present participle of imply
Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes
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Implying
of Imply
How to pronounce implying?
How to say implying in sign language?
Numerology
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Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of implying in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
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Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of implying in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of implying in a Sentence
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Paul Gait of Bernstein:
They’re implying she had radically undersold the Brazilian people and was in the pockets of business.
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Christina Pushaw:
By dismissively ignoring Governor DeSantis’ efforts to protect vulnerable Floridians, Psaki is the one playing politics with the pandemic, the White House should be more concerned about the flip-flopping of the CDC, which is inadvertently promoting vaccine hesitancy with their confusing, contradictory public communications. Stating that vaccinated people should wear masks and socially distance is implying that the vaccines do not change anything, which is the wrong message for our federal government to be promoting.
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James Liu:
The dollar has been strengthening dramatically, which investors are correctly interpreting as implying weak earnings growth over coming quarters.
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Manny Alvarez:
What you are implying in those questions is that you’re going to be able to make some sort of diagnosis and maybe alter or amend the curriculum of the child, what is the implication of that question ? If you are implying that a vaginal birth child is going to be smarter or more proactive in class than a C-section child, that is not Aiken Elementary.
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Kendra Armstrong:
Quite frankly, the terms ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’ seem more offensive than ‘Mother’ and ‘Father.’ It’s implying that one parent is the first parent and the other parent is secondary.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
implying#10000#24388#100000
Translation
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Are we missing a good definition for implying? Don’t keep it to yourself…
transitive verb
1
: to express indirectly
Her remarks implied a threat.
The news report seems to imply his death was not an accident.
2
: to involve or indicate by inference, association, or necessary consequence rather than by direct statement
Infer vs. Imply: Usage Guide
Sir Thomas More is the first writer known to have used both infer and imply in their approved senses in 1528 (with infer meaning «to deduce from facts» and imply meaning «to hint at»). He is also the first to have used infer in a sense close in meaning to imply (1533). Both of these uses of infer coexisted without comment until some time around the end of World War I. Since then, the «indicate» and «hint or suggest» meanings of infer have been frequently condemned as an undesirable blurring of a useful distinction. The actual blurring has been done by the commentators. The «indicate» sense of infer, descended from More’s use of 1533, does not occur with a personal subject. When objections arose, they were to a use with a personal subject (which is now considered a use of the «suggest, hint» sense of infer). Since dictionaries did not recognize this use specifically, the objectors assumed that the «indicate» sense was the one they found illogical, even though it had been in respectable use for four centuries. The actual usage condemned was a spoken one never used in logical discourse. At present the condemned «suggest, hint» sense is found in print chiefly in letters to the editor and other informal prose, not in serious intellectual writing. The controversy over the «suggest, hint» sense has apparently reduced the frequency with which the «indicate» sense of infer is used.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for imply
a film title that suggests its subject matter
imply is close to suggest but may indicate a more definite or logical relation of the unexpressed idea to the expressed.
measures implying that bankruptcy was imminent
hint implies the use of slight or remote suggestion with a minimum of overt statement.
hinted that she might get the job
intimate stresses delicacy of suggestion without connoting any lack of candor.
intimates that there is more to the situation than meets the eye
insinuate applies to the conveying of a usually unpleasant idea in a sly underhanded manner.
insinuated that there were shady dealings
Example Sentences
Early reports implied that the judge’s death was not an accident.
His words implied a threat.
War implies fighting and death.
Recent Examples on the Web
What your question implies, and what America is in the middle of a long debate about, is diversity.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2023
Special for The Republic Cocido means nothing more than cooked, but the namesake dish — a boil of beef and seasonal vegetables — has far more richness in flavor and geographic history than the name implies.
—Minerva Orduño Rincón, The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2023
In the series, Dunne’s photos immortalize some of the band’s most pivotal moments, like their Aurora album cover, but it is implied that her career never fully blooms.
—Alicia Ramírez, refinery29.com, 29 Mar. 2023
So why is owner Arte Moreno implying the Angels could move Ohtani this summer?
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
And being a lawmaker in Cuba does not necessarily imply having a lot of power.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN, 27 Mar. 2023
Recent developments, such as Trump’s installation of a U.S. military base in Israel, are implied to be part of this master plan, and have certainly escalated tensions in the region.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Mar. 2023
Yet genocide implies a deliberate intent to exterminate an entire group of people, and that was decidedly not the objective of all this racial violence.
—Eric Herschthal, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023
First full month of legal sports wagering put $301,000 in tax revenue into state coffers It is implied to be free money, right?
—Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘imply.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English implien, emplien «to enfold, surround, entangle, involve by inference, contain implicitly,» borrowed from Anglo-French emplier, implier «to involve by inference, entail,» probably adaptation of emplier (variant of empleier, emploier «to entangle, put to use, employ entry 1″) as a vernacular equivalent of Medieval Latin implicāre «to imply, mean by implication,» modeled on parallel verbs in Middle English, as applien «to apply,» replien «to reply entry 1″ and their correspondents in Anglo-French — more at implicate
Note:
The genesis of this verb is idiosyncratic, as it has no correspondent in continental French, and even the Anglo-French examples are—to judge by citations in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary—later than the Middle English examples, which are not much earlier than the fifteenth century. Middle French has impliquer as an adaptation of Latin implicāre, but this method of creating vernacular forms of verbs in -plicāre, though common in French, gained little traction in English. Note late and rare Middle English appliquen «to apply» (from Anglo-French and Middle French appliquer), for which the Oxford English Dictionary has no evidence past the sixteenth century.
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Time Traveler
The first known use of imply was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near imply
Cite this Entry
“Imply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imply. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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9 Apr 2023
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